Printing tape dispenser



6C. 9, E w MASON AEEINTIrm TAPE DISPENSER Filed Aug. 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l 37 uwA Y." I

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- fmw 0R/Veys A ABILORPORATION 'E 'M/M/WMSA/ e Dec. 9, 1947. E. w. MASON PRINTING TAPE DISPENSER Filed Aug. 29, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 MMIII Patented Dec. 9, 1947 ED STATES PATENT QLFF'IICE PRINTING; TAPE- DISPENSER Eawin W. Mason, Wyckofsn. J.

Appueautnlnugust 2s, 1944, swarm; 551,720 zolaims.. (ol. i-227,);

The' invention relates; tov adispensing device for tape, particularly the type which` is.- transparent and adhesive co-atedon-one side, such as is known as Scotch tape. The invention relates more particularly to such a dispensing device. which operates,v at the same time that it. dispenses a length` of tape, to imprint any desired. reading matter upon the adhesive coated side of the transiparent tape.

Such i adhesively coated transparentitapefis: coniventionally used inplaceof. string or. oorclrto effect a closure of small packages, particular-ly. by aretail establishment. Such. transparent. tape; if printedzas it is dispensed, for instance,.with.the name andaddress, or any advertising matter, of the retail shop keep-er, constitutesav valuable adjunct to retailing by. simultaneously marking, labelling, sealing and identifying the packaged merchandise, to which the` printedtapeisap.- plied.

An object of the present invention iste provide suena printing tape dispenser Whichis compact andsuitable for use uponfthe counter of.. a. retail establishment, is extremely simple iniitsoperaf tion and the replenishment' of the. source of4 supply of the tape, the changing, when, desired', of the printedmatter or message imprinteduponthe tape, and which. utilizes a medium for the im.- print. which will yield effective. and. clear print.- ing without smudgi'ng. The apparatus; of. the present invention is also designed for the complete. closure and housing of the tape and. print.- ing.. mechanism, offering distinct advantages not only of appearance but the prevention of any foreignmatter, or dirt from getting into the. mechanism and interfering with the clear and effective printing of the tape as it. isfissued fromthe dis-.- penser.

I am aware that various prior methods and apparatus have been suggestedfor the printing of transparent or cellulose tape concurrently with the dispensing thereof from a, container. However, none of these prior attempts has been suc.- cessful commercially for the reason that they have been designed to operate with a printing medium completely unsuitable for thepurpose of printing upon an adhesively coated, cellulose tape as. itis being dispensed.

One. such prior attempt at a solution. of.. the problem is evidenced by the patents to Bronfman 2,223,907 and 2,302,179, the former for the apparatus. for printing on ther adhesive side ofn an adhesive covered material, and the latter for a method. of. printing.- transparent adhesive tape. IntheBronfman patented structure. andmethod,

Z. thereisutilizedi a. printing-medium broadly; char. acterizedi as: a: quick; dryingL ink-1: but more.: spe.- cically: disclosed; as ,a powderedr pigmentaryink. Such: powdered.- pigment is. fed. fromi a; reservoir y to.- ai printingi roller: by; means'of a=.fe1t; roller; to

which thev powdered ink'sudirectlytappliedi.

I have. found thazt such an apparatus; and met-hud,.utilizingareservoirofpowderedipigment intheifnrmzo disoreteJparticles-is. completelyfunsuitable and,l ineffective to; yield.' a clear and smudge-freer imprint. uponl theY adhesive coated side oit'hefcelluloseftape-:- Y

In accordance.: with; my invention: and: in, ac:- cordance withf the apparatus hereinafter described, I utilize; a: substantially` solid body of printing medium.4 in the; form of ast-ick ofchalk andra feltrollerrinicontact with the stickof, chalk abrading the-solid body ofil printingrmaterialand transferring; by meanss ofrsuchfelt rcller, the abradingl particles to a hard rubber roller with. which the adhesive. coated. sideof the cellulose tape is then brought into1 Contact. .electing the imprintingY off suchi adhesiver coated side by. the continuous rotationfofthe-hard rubber roller.

By the use. oi. this expedient, Lam enabledto effect avery clean transfer. of the imprint. from thehardfrubber roller tothe adhesive, coatedsde of the cellulose tape as the .tapeisdispensedfrom the apparatus and. withoutany smudging. of the imprint.

In the embodimentof.- my inyentionin tl'eap.-

paratus hereinafter'` described, L provide. means for insuring` the proper alignment of the tape to be printed and.dispensedso astoprovide for the ultimate. collapsibility. of. the. core. supporting` the tape.,

My deviceis.A alsofd'signedwith atview offsegcuringa complete. closureor housing ofj thetape and. printing mechanism 'to-prevent the entry of any dirt. or other Vforeign material'whi'ch by lodgment. upiontlie. section of the. tape withdrawn from, the. source ofi supply would' interfere with the proper, printing ofjtlie adhesive coated' side thereof by the printing mechanism.

Inr the accompanyingi drawings, I haveV illus*- tratedia specic embodiment of my invention. In such drawings Fig. 1. is a vertical section through theprintingr tape dispenser'constructed in accord ancewith my invention; Fig, 2.is a section on'the line 2 2' of"Fig..1";` Eig. 3 shows a strip' ofprinted cellulose tape which has been dispensed from my apparatus after imprint thereof.; Fig. 4' shows a fragment. of.` a strip ofA similar nature illustrating a. different. Width and-.type of imprint. which may be eiected', by my. apparatus by a simple change or substitution therein; Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. l; Fig, 6 is a section on the line 6-6 of Fig. l; Fig. 'Z'is a section on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a metal compartment for receiving, by gravity, the abraded and unused particles removed from the chalk body by the felt roller and which should be collected in some reservoir, so as to protect the remaining portion of the apparatus therefrom; and Fig. 9 is a perspective view of a body of the printing material constituted of a stick of chalk which has been abraded on its melting surface with-the felt roller.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in

which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, I0 designates a base for the housing for my device, from one side of which extends upwardly an integral half I I of the housing of the generally conical cross-4 section shown in Fig. 5, the housing being completed by the second half I2 extending upwardly from the opposite side of the base I0 and meeting the first half II along a central median line of the housing. From approximately the vertical center of the housing member II extends inwardly a boss I3 within which, by screw I4, is secured a shaft I5 providing a bearing for the tape holder I6. Such tape holder I6 is preferably constituted of a wooden block having rounded corners, upon which the tape core I1 may be mounted. The tape core I1 is mounted upon the tape holder by such tape core upon which it had been wound by the manufacturer, the tape core I1 and the roll of tape I8 being pushed back sufliciently upon the tape holder IB to abut a metal disc member I9. Such metal disc member is secured to the tape holder` I6 by a plurality of screws 29. It may also be preferably provided with a circular indentation 2| and two thumb recesses 22 to facilitate theapplication to, and removal from, the tape holder and metal disc, of the tape roll and core.

Opposite the boss I3 on the housing member I I is a boss 23 extending from thefhousing member I2. Such boss, when the tape holder and roll of tape has been placed upon the shaft I5, retains such tape holder and roll of tape in position axially upon the shaft I5.

Substantially at the centerof the lower edge of the housing member I2 and extending inwardly is a boss 24 from which extends a rounded pin 25 adapted to enter a recess 26 in the base I9.

From near the top edge of the housing member I2 extends still another boss 21 within which is mounted a spring-pressed pin 28 adapted to enter a corresponding recess 29 in the housing member I I, to complete the closure of the housing by first placing the pin 25 into its recess 26 in the base and then bringing the free housing member II into edge contact with the housing member II whereupon the two housing members will be locked together by the spring-pressed pin 28.

The base I0 may be provided with a rubber surface 30.

Extending inwardly from the thickened front portion of the housing member II is anidler roller 3| mounted upon a shaft screwed into such thickened housing portion, with a link 32 mounted upon the shaft, the link carryingat its free end, so as to extend inwardlyof the housing,.a shaft 33. Mounted upon such shaft is a wood roller 34 upon which is secured by suitable adhesive a hard rubber printing strip 35 carrying any desired legend or combinationof' print and design. Such roller and the hard rubber printing strip may be readily changed by merely removing the roller 34 and substituting a, different roller carrying a dilerent hard rubber printing strip.

Below the printing roller 34, and in direct contact with the printing strip 35, is a felt roller 36 mounted upon a shaft 31 secured by a screw to the thickened portion of the housing member II. The felt ro-ller 36 is free to rotate upon the shaft 31. In contact with the lower surface of the roller is the upper face of a solid block of printing medium 38 such as a block of chalk.

The chalk supporting mechanism comprises a sheet metal cradle 39 secured to the housing member II by screw 49, the cradle having two upwardly diverging arms extending on each side of the felt roller 36. The block of chalk 38 is urged upwardly against the felt roller 36 by a spring 4I of the configuration shown in Figs. l and 7, the tension of the spring being secured by the spring coil 42 and the spring having a handle 43 extending outside of the cradle 39. Such handle 43 facilitates the release of the spring and thereby relieves tension on the block of crayon so that it may be removed and replaced at will.

Beneath the sheet metal cradle 39 is a powder collecting metal reservoir 44 shown in perspective in Fig. 8.

The two housing members II and I2, just forwardly of the printing roller 34, have an opening 45 of suiicient size to permit the easy withdrawal therethrough of the strip of tape 46 unwound from the roll I8. Upon the upwardly extending nose 41 of the housing is mounted a preferably serrated knife edge 48 by means of which, after a desired length of tape 46 has been withdrawn from the device, such tape may be out.

In the operation of my novel printing tape dispenser, the leading edge of the tape 46 is grasped by the fingers of the operator and the tape pulled forwardly of the device. The tape is pulled forwardly to a sufficient extent to unwind from the. tape ro-ll I8 the desired length of tape which, as it is pulled forward, passes first under the idler roller 3| and then over the hand rubber printing strip upon the printing roller 34 by means of which the printing is applied to the sticky under side of the tape. When the desired length of tape has been withdrawn, the tape may be readily cut by the serrated knife edge 48.

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated a length of printed tape 49 which has been dispensed by my apparatus and upon which any desired printing has been effected in the course of withdrawing the tape from the dispenser. In such Fig. 3, I have shown a tape of the conventional width of 1/2 inch, but, as shown in Fig. 4, a wider strip 59 of printed tape can also be printed and dispensed by my device for which provision is made by the excessive width of the printing roller 34 and of the felt roller 36.

As a matter of fact, a two color printed tape may be printed and dispensed by my device by employing two diiferent colors of chalk or blocks of crayon on the same width of tape, This would only require the positioning of two different blocks of chalk, side by side, within the vertical portions of the sheet metal cradle 39, both of the blocks being pressed upwardly by the spring 4I.

It will be noted that the housing for my printing tape dispenser is substantially completely closed except at the opening 45 through which the ,tape is withdrawn, so that the tape printing maximum is substantially closed to prevent the entrance of dirt and other foreign particles into the mechanism and lodging upon either the printing mechanism or the tape, thereby causing smudging of the print or other interference with the effective operation of the device.

I claim:

1. In a printing dispenser for a pressure-sensitive adhesive coated tape, a housing constituted of a base, an integral vertical member, and a cooperating free Vertical member adapted to be seated upon said base along its periphery and form, by edge-abutting relation with the integral member, a substantially complete closure, the combination of a tape roll holder rotatively supported from said integral vertical member, a printing roller, a hard rubber printing strip upon said roller, a felt pigment transfer roller positioned for free rotation below said printing roller, and a spring-pressed solid block of chalk in contact with said felt roller, a knife edge mounted upon the housing forwardly of the printed roller, a shaft extending inwardly from said integral vertical member, a link rotatively mounted upon such shaft, and a shaft extending from the free end of said link for supporting the printing roller.

2. In a printing dispenser for a pressure-sensitive adhesive coated tape, and having a base, a two-member housing thereon, one of said members being integral with said base, the combination of a tape roller rotatably supported from one of said housing members, an idler roller, a shaft therefor extending from said integral housing member, a link rota-tively mounted upon such shaft, a shaft extending from said link, a printing roller upon said shaft, a hard rubber printing surface upon said roller, a roller having a soft fabric surface positioned for free rotation below said printing roller, a sheet metal cradle beneath said roller, a block of chalk positioned Within said cradle and in contact with the under surface of said transfer roller, and spring-controlled means for pressing said block of chalk against said transfer roller.

EDWIN W. MASON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

